This invention relates generally to cardboard shipping containers which require mechanical material handling equipment.
As is well known, it is desirable to partially encapsulate the top and bottom edges of an item to be shipped for protection against shock and vibration. It has also been conventional to suspend the encapsulated item in a cardboard carton wherein the encapsulating material acts as a spacing block separating carton walls from the item. In this manner, foreign objects penetrating the carton will not come in contact with the item. The encapsulating material must have sufficient load bearing capability to support the weight of multiple items which are often stacked one on top of the other. For items of sufficient weight to require mechanical material handling equipment, however, a problem arises. A conventional container has a flat bottom which does not provide entry for material handling equipment such as, for example, the protruding forks of a forklift truck.
The prior art approach was to mount the container on a conventional full perimeter pallet or skid. Several disadvantages are readily apparent with this approach. First, the added height of the pallet reduces the number of containers which may be placed in a finite space such as the trailer of a transporting truck. Second, custom made pallets are often required since the bottom surface of the carton rarely has the same perimeter as a conventional pallet. Third, added costs are incurred by obtaining pallets and mounting the item thereon.